Carlos Baker, "Steinbeck at the Top of His Form," in New York Times Book Review, Vol 97, November 30,1947, pp 4,52.

In this favorable review, Baker finds parallels between The Pearl and the "unkillable folklore of Palestine, Greece, Rome, China, India," and western Europe.

Debra K.S. Barker, "Passages of Descent and Initiation* Juana as the 'Other' Hero of The Pearl," in After The Grapes of Wrath, Essays on John Steinbeck, edited by Donald V. Coers, Paul D Ruffin, and Robert J. DeMott, Ohio University Press, 1995, pp. 113-23.

Barker argues that Juana undergoes a trial "equal to or perhaps more momentous" than Kino's as she evolves from the role of "Helpmate" to that of "The Sage."